Science Reveals Something Surprising About People Who Speak Multiple Languages

*This study on bilingualism starts where others leave off. Bilingualism’s positive effects extend to learning in noisy environments. Apparently it has to do with the ability to filter out auditory interference. VL

By Tom McKay, News.Mic

Is bilingualism good for your brain?

The news: Yes — and overwhelming so. A new study published in Bilingualism: Language and Cognition has concluded that young bilingual students are better able to focus on “demanding mental tasks despite distractions.” The study offers further proof that learning two languages has long-lasting benefits on one’s mental fitness.

The study: A team led by Anglia Ruskin University’s Roberto Filippi conducted a small but in-depth survey of 40 participants, 20 of whom were bilingual and 20 of whom spoke just English. The bilingual group was diverse; the BBC reports participants spoke “Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Armenian, Bengali, Polish, Russian and Portuguese” with a mean age of 8.8 years. All had highly educated parents.

Filippi and his team presented the children with images of two animals interacting on a computer screen, asking them to answer simple but grammatically complex questions about the images. They then mixed voices talking over the questions into the audio track, one in English and one in Greek.

The results?

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[Photo by hawaii/Radio Netherlands worldwide]